Double-wall insulated birdhouse

ABSTRACT

A metal birdhouse having a double-wall construction open at one end for achieving desirably cooler interior temperature conditions while still using darker, heat-absorbant finishes for exterior wall surfaces. The birdhouse has a ventilated attic and a hingedly mounted roof for access to the interior of the house; a perforate floor; an entrance opening in a sidewall of the house designed to accommodate adapter members for selectively varying the diameter of the opening for restricting the size of bird occupant; a removable drop floor for selectively changing the depth of the interior of the house, and, an internal climbing and drainage aide. Improved ventilation is realized by locating venting openings in upper portions of the birdhouse walls arranged to minimize exposure of the interior to driving rain and other adverse weather conditions.

United States Patent Wade et al.

[ Feb. 22, 1972 [s41 DOUBLE-WALL INSULATED BIRDHOUSE [72] inventors: Jesse L. Wade; Arthur E. Vail, both of Griggsville, lll.

[73] Assignee: Trio Manufacturing Company, Griggsville,

[22] Filed: Sept. 21, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 74,096

3,496,913 2/1970 Vail ..l 19/23 Primary Examiner-Aldrich F. Medbery Attorney-Silverman & Cass [57] ABSTRACT A metal birdhouse having a double-wall construction open at one end for achieving desirably cooler interior temperature conditions while still using darker, heat-absorbant finishes for exterior wall surfaces. The birdhouse has a ventilated attic and a hingedly mounted roof for access to the interior of the house; a perforate floor; an entrance opening in a sidewall of the house designed to accommodate adapter members for selectively varying the diameter of the opening for restricting the size of bird occupant; a removable drop floor for selectively changing the depth of the interior of the house, and, an internal climbing and drainage aide. Improved ventilation is realized by locating venting openings in upper portions of the birdhouse walls arranged to minimize exposure of the interior to driving rain and other adverse weather conditions.

i 13 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures DOUBLE-WALL INSULATED BIRDHOUSE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to collapsible metal birdhouses and more particularly, to an improved metal birdhouse having a double-wall construction for achieving desirable temperature conditions in the nesting compartment and which is sufficiently versatile in construction to enable nesting for any one of a plurality of bird species without appreciable change in the birdhouse structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Although metal birdhouses are more easily fabricated and maintained, metal is a highly thermal conductivity material which can make it generally unsuitable for this purpose unless good ventilation is assured and/or heat reflecting exterior finishes are provided in the birdhouse. Ordinarily, even where ventilation means is provided, satisfactory temperature conditions may not be reached unless the exterior birdhouse wall surfaces also have a heat reflecting finish. However, such finishes are bright and somewhat unattractive to birds seeking nesting areas whereas, dark, natural appearing colors having been found better to attract nest seeking birds. Unfortunately, darker colors absorb heat which is radiated into and accumulated in the interior of the birdhouse to raise the temperature in nesting compartment adversely. Ventilation means heretofore employed in metal birdhouses have been insufficient to dissipate heat sufficiently so as to permit use of dark finishes for exterior wall surfaces.

Since metal birdhouses of the type with which this invention is concerned employ a circular wall opening for an entrance to the interior nesting compartment, the diameter of the entrance opening determines the maximum size of bird which can use the house. It is desirable to be able to vary the diameter of such entrance opening so that the birdhouse can be used with a greater degree of versatility as to different bird species. It is believed that the prior art has not coped successfully with providing variable diameter holes or entrances in a metal birdhouse.

In conjunction with such birdhouses, it is known that socalled hole nesting birds require a nesting compartment which has available ladder footings along interior wall surfaces for the fledglings or younger birds to mount for reaching the entrance opening. Also, the volume size of the nesting compartment is a factor effecting particular birds for which the birdhouse is provided, it being desirable to reduce the volume size or increase the same in accordance with the bird species to be encouraged and attracted to use the birdhouse.

Accordingly, the invention provides an improved metal birdhouse having a double-wall construction which is open at the bottom end of the birdhouse and which can maintain satisfactory thermal conditions in the nesting compartment while still permitting use of darker, heat-absorbent paint finishes for exterior wall surfaces.

Another important feature of the birdhouse of the invention resides in use of vent openings adjacent the upper edge of each one of the pair of spaced-apart panels providing the double-wall construction open at the bottom of the birdhouse, the vent openings in the outer panel being offset from the vent openings in the inner panel sothat rain and wind entering the vent openings in the outer panel are prevented from entering the nesting compartment through the vent opening in the inner panel.

Another feature of the birdhouse of the invention is the removable pedestal provided for selectively raising and lowering the floor of the nesting compartment to predetermined levels whereby a bird such as the wren, which authorities conclude prefers a shallower nesting cavity can be accommodated as well as birds such as tree swallows, chickadees, blue birds, which prefer a deeper nesting cavity.

Another important feature of the invention is the provision of insert adapter means for selectively varying the diameter of the entry opening to the nesting compartment. Also, said adapter means includes an insert plug for closing the opening during the winter months or other periods of nonuse so as to eliminate any necessity for dismantling the birdhouse during these periods.

Other advantageous features of the invention include a pivotable roof which carries a ventilated attic to improve air circulation through the birdhouse, and which provides access to the nesting; compartment for cleaning same screen or mesh platform provided for installation on the floor of the nesting compartment having a ladderlike leg portion for use by young birds as an aid in entry and exit from the nesting compartment through the entrance hole, said platform also being useful for interior drainage in the nesting compartment.

Other advantages of the birdhouse embodying the invention will be evident from the ensuing description of the preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A metal birdhouse providing a double-wall nesting compartment having vertical walls, a floor and a hingedly mounted roof, each of said vertical walls formed of a pair of spaced panel members opening into the bottom end of the birdhouse. One of said vertical walls having an entrance opening for birds into and from said nesting compartment. Each of said panel members has vent openings near the upper edge thereof, as installed, or in close proximity to said roof, but the vent openings in one panel of the pair being offset from the vent openings in the other panel of said pair. The roof carries a ventilated attic portion and the floor, likewise, is provided with a plurality of openings. Insert adapter means is provided for varying the diameter of the entry opening or plug same, as desired. A screen or mesh member is located in the nesting compartment to aid in drainage and to provide a ladderlike arrangement along which young birds can climb out of the nesting compartment through said entry opening. The exterior surface of the outer panel can be finished in a dark color while the exterior surface of the inner panel can have a heat reflecting finish so that radiation of the heat absorbed by the outer panel is reflected by the inner panel and give rise to a chimney effect between said panels which causes the heated air to rise and pass through said vent openings at the upper portions of the wall panels and out to ambient atmosphere.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a front perspective viewof the birdhouse embodying the invention and illustrated installed on a standard or post.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 but illustrating the roof of the birdhouse pivoted to an open condition.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, rear perspective view of said birdhouse.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the birdhouse illustrated in FIG. 2 with portions removed to show interior detail and with the floor thereof shown raised to suit a particular species of bird.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2 and in the direction indicated, but with the roof closed.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1 and in the direction indicated.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of said birdhouse.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the platform member for raising the floor in the birdhouse illustrated in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The birdhouse designated generally by reference character 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 installed upon a standard I2 by means of mounting brackets 14 and I4 and screws I7 or other suitable fastening means. Preferably. mounting brackets I4 and I4 are secured, as by riveting to the rear wall of birdhouse 10.

The birdhouse 10 is of boxlike configuration having a front wall I6, a rear wall 18 and a pair of opposite sidewalls 20. A

formed of a pair of panels. Front wall 16 includes an outer.

panel 16 and an inner panel 16". Similarly, rear wall 18 includes an outer panel 18' and an inner panel 18" with the sidewalls 20 each including an outer panel 20 and an inner panel 20". The overall width and height dimensions of the inner panels and of the outer panels are the same.

Each of the outer panels 16', 18' and 20 is provided with a pair of bends or flanges 26 along opposite longitudinal edges, said flanges being at approximately 45 angle to the plane of the panel. Each of the inner panels 16", 18" and 20" likewise is provided with a pair of flanges 28 along opposite longitudinal edges and angled at approximately 45 angle to the plane of the panel; thewidth of each flange 28 is approximately twice the width of flange 26.

Accordingly, when each pair of suitably mated inner and outer panels respectively are arranged with their flanges abutting face to face along their lengths and the outer extremities flush, the inner and outer panels will be spaced one from the other by a distance equal to the difference in the width of said flanges 26 and 28. Thus, the panels forming front, rear and sidewalls l6, l8 and 20 are arranged to define the outside walls of the birdhouse and the interior nesting compartment spaced from said outside walls. The flanges are arranged so that the adjacent bends of the inner panel 16" and 20" are sandwiched between the appropriate bends of the respective outer panels 16 and 20" to define the corner. A permanent connection is provided by riveting as shown at 30.

An entry opening 32 is provided in the front wall 16 for access to nesting compartment of the birdhouse 10. The entry 32 is defined by a pair of aligned circular openings 34 and 36 formed in the inner and outer panels 16' and 16" respectively of wall 16. Each of these openings is bordered by annular flange, 38 and 38 respectively, which, in the installed condition of the panels, have their outer edges touching. The result is a bridge between the pair of panels 16' and 16" across the space therebetween, as shown in FIG. 4.

The pivotally mounted roof 22 comprises a unitary sheet 40 provided with canted flanges 42. Sheet 40 has a medial bend 43 extending entirely across the sheet 40 to define the pitched or gablelike roof configuration with the front portion thereof overhanging the front edge of the birdhouse 10. The roof 22 carries a ventilated attic 44 formed of a single sheet of metal and having a planar portion 46, a pair of opposite triangular portions 48 and a pair of opposite bends 50. The triangular portions 48 are disposed normal to the planar portion 46 and have vent openings 52 and slots 54 therein. Slots 54 are located each to accommodate a spring latch 56 secured to the sidewalls 20. The shallow bends 50 are secured by riveting to the undersurface of the roof 22, as shown at 58.

The roof 22 is pivotally mounted to the rear wall 18 by means of brackets 60 and 62. Brackets 60 and 62 are identical in structure, each having a pair of opposite, upstanding lugs 64. Bracket 60 is attached, as by riveting, to the upper portion of the outer panel 18' of the rear wall 18 and bracket 62 is attached to the undersurface of the roof 22 with one of the attic bends 50 sandwiched therebetween. The brackets 60 and 62 are positioned slightly offset one from the other so that the lugs 64 of each are immediately adjacent, generally in frictional engagement respectively. Rivets 66 passing through the lugs 64 respectively define journal means to permit pivotal location of the roof 22. Flat spring latch members 56 are secured at one end 68 thereof, to each of the sidewalls 20 respectively, that is, to the outer panels 20 thereof, at a location to permit the bends 70 adjacent the opposite end of each latch member 56 to be engaged within the respective one of the slots 54 when the planar portion 46 of attic 44 is engaged on the upper edges of wall l6, l8 and 20 so as to latch the roof 22 in closed position.

The floor 24 is formed by attaching a perforate sheet 72 to the lower ends of the sidewall interior panels 20" as by riveting bends 74 of said sheet 72 to said sidewall inner panels, preferably to the inner surfaces thereof.

A wire screen or mesh portion 76, bent at approximately a right angle, is inserted within the nesting compartment defined by the inner panels 16", 18 and 20, with one leg 76' thereof resting on the floor 24 and the other, the vertical leg 76", adjacent the inner facing surface of inner wall 16" and extending therealong until the entry opening 32. This vertical leg 76" is secured to the said front wall by means of rivets 78. In addition to the portion 76' acting as a false floor to provide improved drainage, the vertical leg 76" provides a means ladderlike for use by young birds to climb'out of the nesting compartment. Vent openings 80 are formed in outer panels 16' and 20 spaced in a row adjacent the upper edges thereof while similar openings 80 are formed in the outer panel 18 but at a lower level relative to the level of opening 80, so that the bracket 60 can be attached to the panel '18. A second row of vent openings 82 is formed in'the inner panels at 16', 18 and 20" preferably at the same level as openings 80 but staggered or offset both from said openings 80 and 80' so that in the installed condition of the panels, the openings 82 are not aligned with any of the openings 80 or 80'. In this manner driving rain, snow, or wind is prevented from entering inadvertently into the nesting compartment of thebirdhouse 10. The birdhouse 10 can provide good nesting shelter for tree swallows or bluebirds, depending upon the location selected for the birdhouse. The birdhouse 10 also can serve as a nesting shelter for such species as wrens and chickadees, for example, although the nesting requirements of these two species are different from those for tree swallows and bluebirds. The wren is known to prefer a more shallow nesting compartment or cavity for nesting than the tree swallows, chickadees and bluebirds. Likewise, the wrens and chickadees are smaller birds than the tree swallows and-bluebirds. Therefore, to accommodate the wren, the floor of the compartment should be raised. Accordingly, a U-shaped platform 84 having a planar perforate portion 86 and a pair of opposite legs 88 is provided. Member 84 is capable of being installed, as shown in FIG. 4, with the free ends of legs 88 resting on the inner surface of floor 24 whereby effectively to raise the floor level and provide a more shallow nesting compartment. Tree swallows and bluebirds'can be accommodated in a birdhouse 10 where the entry opening 32 is about We inches in diameter. A smaller, bird such as a wren and a chickadee, may be accommodated to the exclusion of the larger birds by selected use of the ring adapters 90 and 92 provided by the invention. (See FIG. 2). Each of the adapters 90 and 92 is formed preferably of plastic and defines an opening, respectively, 1 A; inch in diameter and 1 inch in diameter. If one wanted to adapt birdhouse 10 for occupancy limited only to wrens, one would use the adapter and insert the member 84 within the cavity so as to raise the floor, with adapter 92 narrowing the entry opening 32 so as to exclude the larger birds. In order to adapt the birdhouse 10 for occupancy by the Chickadee alone, one would merely use the adapter 90 to narrow the diameter of the entry opening 32 to 1 /5 inches. The wren probably would be excluded due to its preference for shallow nesting places in contrast to the deep nesting cavity provided as described.

It is possible also to close off the birdhouse from occupancy during the winter months. A solid hole plug 94 is provided for insertion in the entry opening 32 as shown in FIG. 1.

It should be understood that in the double-wall construction described, the outer wall surfaces of the birdhouse 10 can be any color desired, even a dark or natural woodlike finish found to be attractive to the bird species concerned. A brown finish, a green finish or a wood texture finish also can be utilized as the exterior finish of the walls 16, 18 and. 20 not withstanding its tendency to absorb heat and radiate same into the house 10. The outside finish of the interior wall defined by panels 16", 18" and 20" simply can be plain metal, for example, aluminum, which is a much more efficient reflector than the heat-absorbing, dark, outer panels. The heat radiated from the outer panels is reflected away from the interior of the box. This in turn creates a so-called chimney effect between the panels which being open at the bottom permits the accumulated heated air to rise and escape to ambient atmosphere through the various vent holes. Also, the nesting cavity, in effect, is surrounded on its lateral areas by a blanket of insulating air held in the spaces between the pairs of panels forming walls 16, 18 and 20. However, this space opens to the bottom end of the birdhouse so that air can enter and pass upwardly in a stream through the vent openings.

We claim:

1. A metal birdhouse comprising, a boxlike structure having interconnected sidewalls, a floor portion and a gablelike roof, each of said sidewalls being formed of a pair of spaced-apart, inner and outer panel members each secured together along lateral edges thereof constituting a vertical spaced passageway between said panel members, said inner panel members cooperating to define a nesting compartment therebetween, one of said pair of sidewalls having an entrance opening tranversely therethrough communicating with said nesting compartment spaced above said floor, and means securing adjacent pairs of panel members along said abutting lateral edges to form a chimney-type draft ventillation and insulating means.

2. A birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said panels have vent openings therein adjacent the upper edges thereof and the vent openings formed in the inner ones of said panels are not in registered alignment with the vent openings in the outer ones of said panels.

3. A birdhouse as described in claim 1 in which said roof is hingedly connected to one of said sidewalls for pivotal movement between two positions opening and closing the upper end of said nesting compartment.

4. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which there is means secured to one of said sidewalls and to said roof to enable pivotal movement of said roof for establishing selectable top access to the interior of said structure.

5. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which said roof ineludes a ventilated attic portion secured to the undersurface thereof.

6. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 4 and means defining a ventilated attic secured to the underface of said roof.

7. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 4 and spring biased releasable latch means for holding the roof normally in its closed condition.

8. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said spaced panel members have a pair of bends along the longer edges thereof, the width of the bends on the outer one of said panels being substantially less than the width of the bends on the inner one of said panels, the panels being arranged with the bends of the inner panels sandwiched between the bends of the outer panels to define respective corners, the outer edges of said bends being aligned, and fastening means for establishing a permanent connection between said thus arranged bends.

9. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 and adapter means for selectively varying the diameter of the entrance opening, said adapter means comprising a plurality of ringlike members selectively mountable within said entrance opening, each of said ringlike members carrying a disc defining a different diameter opening.

10. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 9 in which one of said I ringlike members has an imperforate disc for closing off the interior of the birdhouse during nonuse.

11. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which there is a wire screen mesh member disposed interior of the structure, a portion of which rests on the floor thereof and a portion being adjacent the inner panel of that sidewall carrying the entrance opening and extending substantially the distance between the said openin and the floor.

12. The irdhouse as claimed in claim I in which each of said sidewalls carry an outer, exterior heat absorbing finish and the outer surface of each of the inner panels carries a heat reflecting finish.

13. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which there is provided a perforate sheet member having a leg means depending therefrom, said sheet member being selectively in- 0 sertable within said structure with the leg means resting upon the floor thereof to raise the effective floor level. 

1. A metal birdhouse comprising, a boxlike structure having interconnected sidewalls, a floor portion and a gablelike roof, each of said sidewalls being formed of a pair of spaced-apart, inner and outer panel members each secured together along lateral edges thereof constituting a vertical spaced passageway between said panel members, said inner panel members cooperating to define a nesting compartment therebetween, one of said pair of sidewalls having an entrance opening tranversely therethrough communicating with said nesting compartment spaced above said floor, and means securing adjacent pairs of panel members along said abutting lateral edges to form a chimney-type draft ventillation and insulating means.
 2. A birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said panels have vent openings therein adjacent the upper edges thereof and the vent openings formed in the inner ones of said pAnels are not in registered alignment with the vent openings in the outer ones of said panels.
 3. A birdhouse as described in claim 1 in which said roof is hingedly connected to one of said sidewalls for pivotal movement between two positions opening and closing the upper end of said nesting compartment.
 4. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which there is means secured to one of said sidewalls and to said roof to enable pivotal movement of said roof for establishing selectable top access to the interior of said structure.
 5. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which said roof includes a ventilated attic portion secured to the undersurface thereof.
 6. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 4 and means defining a ventilated attic secured to the underface of said roof.
 7. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 4 and spring biased releasable latch means for holding the roof normally in its closed condition.
 8. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said spaced panel members have a pair of bends along the longer edges thereof, the width of the bends on the outer one of said panels being substantially less than the width of the bends on the inner one of said panels, the panels being arranged with the bends of the inner panels sandwiched between the bends of the outer panels to define respective corners, the outer edges of said bends being aligned, and fastening means for establishing a permanent connection between said thus arranged bends.
 9. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 and adapter means for selectively varying the diameter of the entrance opening, said adapter means comprising a plurality of ringlike members selectively mountable within said entrance opening, each of said ringlike members carrying a disc defining a different diameter opening.
 10. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 9 in which one of said ringlike members has an imperforate disc for closing off the interior of the birdhouse during nonuse.
 11. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which there is a wire screen mesh member disposed interior of the structure, a portion of which rests on the floor thereof and a portion being adjacent the inner panel of that sidewall carrying the entrance opening and extending substantially the distance between the said opening and the floor.
 12. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said sidewalls carry an outer, exterior heat absorbing finish and the outer surface of each of the inner panels carries a heat reflecting finish.
 13. The birdhouse as claimed in claim 1 in which there is provided a perforate sheet member having a leg means depending therefrom, said sheet member being selectively insertable within said structure with the leg means resting upon the floor thereof to raise the effective floor level. 